Materials crunch mars repairs

BY THIRA L BHUSAL / SHANKAR KHAREL
WEST KUSAHA (SUNSARI), Aug 31

Workers deployed to repair spurs and stop the eastward diversion of the Koshi River at West Kusaha are in urgent need of construction materials, officials said.

“We are running out of nylon crates, galvanized iron crates and sacks which are essential to repair and protect the spurs,” an engineer from Department of Water-Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP), Biratnagar, stationed at the site said. If more materials are not immediately supplied to the sites, work will come to a halt, he told the Post.

According to him, workers rely on materials DWIDP of Nepal provide to Indian authorities. “We are running out of stock provided by Nepal but the Indian side has not made any arrangement so far,” the engineer said.

Nepali authorities made emergency arrangement of materials in view of the urgency, officials said. DWIDP provided about 35,000 sacks while local contractors selected by Indian authorities arranged 20,000 more sacks. So far, 55,000 sacks have been arranged while 30,000 were used as of Sunday, officials and contractors at the site said.

Likewise, Nepali authorities have provided 400 sets of nylon crates and 50 sets of galvanized iron crates so far. “We immediately need at least 400 more crates to continue repair work,” the engineer said.

“It was just a temporary and preliminary arrangement. The Indian authorities need to provide sufficient materials to speed up construction and maintenance work,” he said. For a week, Indian officials have been saying they will start work on a war-footing but work at the site has yet to gear up. Around 400 workers are repairing a spur at 13.6 kilometers north of Koshi barrage. This spur has eroded 50 meters so far. Its total length is over 200 meters. The raging river has been consistently hitting the spur, and it has become crucial to stop the Koshi from diverting eastward.

Koshi River has been continuously eroding its spurs and embankment. On August 18, a swollen Koshi destroyed two spurs at 11.1 and 11.9 kilometers and submerged several villages. Over 30,000 locals fled their homes to safety.

The Kathmandu Post